Batting tee having bendable base

ABSTRACT

A batting tee has a base which is made from bendable recycled rubber. The base is between 11 inches and 13 inches wide, 11 inches and 13 inches long, and one-half inch and three-quarters inch thick.

BACKGROUND

Batting tees which support a baseball or a softball above ground so aplayer can hit balls to develop his or her swing are well known in theprior art. One problem with the prior art batting tees is that they mustbe light enough that they can easily be moved, even by young children,and shall not be knocked over when the user hits the tee. In addition,batting tees must be adjustable vertically to accommodate players ofdifferent heights. The adjustment mechanism must have sufficientfriction for the batting tee to remain at the desired height and stillbe movable by younger players. The prior art adjustment mechanismsincorporate an expansion friction device which becomes loose with wear,and therefore requires frequent adjustment.

SUMMARY

A batting tee includes a base which supports the tee on the ground. Apost extends upwardly from the base and supports a ball at its upperend. The base is made from recycled rubber and has a length and widthbetween 11 inches and 13 inches and a thickness between one-half inchand three-quarters inch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a batting tee embodying the subjectinvention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the batting tee.

FIGS. 4-6 are side elevation views showing how the tee reacts in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, a batting tee includes a base 10, anadjustable height post 12 and a flexible ball support 14. The base 10 ismade from recycled rubber which is far more flexible than virgin rubberand returns to its original position after being bent multiple times.The base preferably is as small as possible and still provides a stableplatform. In the embodiment illustrated the base has the same length andwidth but it could be slightly longer than it is wide. Preferably thebase is as thin as possible and still provides enough stability when thestand is hit by a bat. In the embodiment shown in the drawings the frontcorners of the base are cut at an angle to resemble a baseball homeplate.

In the embodiment illustrated the post 12 is three pieces with an outercircular cylindrical tube 16, a middle circular cylindrical tube 18,which slidably fits within the outer tube, and an inner circularcylindrical tube 19 which slidably fits within the middle tube. Whilethe tubes shown in the drawings are circular in cross-section, theycould have other cross-sectional shapes. The bottom end of the outertube is attached to the base in a suitable manner. The middle tube islonger than the outer tube and projects out of the upper end of theouter tube. The inner tube is longer than the middle tube and projectsout of the upper end of the middle tube. Referring now to FIG. 2, themiddle tube has one or more pairs of holes 20 which extend through itnear its lower end. A compression spring 22, having a relaxed lengthwhich is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the outer tube,extends through an aligned pair of holes and presses against the innerwall of the outer tube 16. Thus the spring is compressed and provides aresistance against the movement of the inner tube relative to the outertube and prevents the inner tube from inadvertently moving. Moreover,this resistance remains constant over the life of the device because asthe spring wears it expands to make up for the wear. A similarresistance device (not shown) is located between the middle tube and theinner tube.

Mounted on the upper end of the inner tube is the ball support 14. Theball support is made from a flexible material that can bend easily whenhit by a bat and yet self-returns to the upright position. The ballsupport typically is a plastic or rubber piece which is wrapped arounditself to form a hollow tube. In the embodiment shown in the drawingsthe ball support has substantially the same diameter along its entireextent.

Referring now to FIG. 4, in use a ball 24 is placed on the top of theball support 14. If when hitting the ball the batter also strikes thebatting tee, the post 12 will rotate about its lower extremity. Thiswill cause the base to bend along with the post 12, FIG. 5. However,because the base bends the batting tee is not knocked over even if it ishit quite hard. Because the base material completely recovers from beingbent, the post 12 then returns to its original upright position, FIG. 6.

Batting tees are used by a wide range of players and the size andthickness of the base can be critical. If the base is too large thebatting tee will be too heavy for younger players to move. If the baseis too small stronger players will regularly knock it over. It has beenfound that a recycled rubber base which is 11 to 13 inches wide and 11to 13 inches long provides the best performance for the largestcross-section of players. It has also been found that a recycled rubberbase performs best when its thickness is between one-half inch andthree-quarters inch. Preferably the base would be 12 inches by 12 inchesby three-quarters inch.

The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoingspecification are used therein as terms of description and not oflimitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms andexpressions, of excluding equivalents of the features shown anddescribed or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of theinvention is defined and limited only by the claim which follows.

What is claimed is:
 1. A batting tee comprising: (a) a base whichsupports the tee; (b) said base having a width, a length, and athickness; (c) a post which extends upwardly from said base; (d) a ballsupport located at an upper end of said post; wherein (e) said base isrecycled rubber and has a length between 11 inches and 13 inches, awidth between 11 inches and 13 inches and a thickness between one-halfinch and three-quarters inch.
 2. The batting tee of claim 1 wherein saidlength and said width are 12 inches.
 3. The batting tee of claim 1wherein said thickness is three-quarters inch.
 4. The batting tee ofclaim 2 wherein said thickness is three-quarters inch.
 5. The battingtee of claim 1 wherein said post comprises: (a) an outer cylindricaltube which is attached to said base; (b) a middle cylindrical tube whichslidably fits within said outer tube and projects outwardly from saidouter tube; (c) an inner cylindrical tube which slidably fits withinsaid middle tube and projects outwardly from said middle tube; and (d)friction devices which provides resistance against movement of saidmiddle tube in said outer tube, and said inner tube in said middle tube.6. The batting tee of claim 5 wherein said friction device comprises:(a) one or more pairs of opposed aligned holes which open out of saidmiddle tube; and (b) one or more compression springs, each of saidsprings having opposed ends which extend through one of said pair ofholes and contact said outer tube.
 7. The batting tube of claim 5wherein said friction device comprises: (a) one or more pairs of opposedaligned holes which open out at said inner tube; and (b) one or morecompression springs, each of said springs having opposed ends whichextend through one of said pair of holes and contact said middle tube.8. A batting tee comprising: (a) a base which supports the tee; (b) apost which extends upwardly from said base; (c) a ball support locatedat the upper end of said post; (d) said post comprising an outercylindrical tube which is attached to said base, and an innercylindrical tube which slidably fits within said inner tube and projectsoutwardly from said inner tube; (e) a friction device which providesresistance against movement of said inner tube in said outer tube; (f)said friction device comprising one or more pairs of opposed alignedholes which open out of said inner tube; and (g) one or more compressionsprings, each of said springs having opposed ends which extend throughone or more pairs of said holes and contacts said outer tube.